Remembering Dreams
by Michiru Kino
Summary: This is the first fic I'm writing with Minako Kurosu!  We have put in OC's!  And I'm REALLY  suckish with summaries so...Just read it !
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hi! So, this may seem strange to you guys! I mean, this fic ISN'T ABOUT VAMPIRE KNIGHT! - gasp -**

**Haha, This fic, I'm co-writing with Minako Kurosu. Yea, you know her, the amazing author? Yep! This fic was written with her! Actually the majority of the first chapter was written by her! But, fear not! Because the secong chapter is mine! But don't forget to give Mina credit!**

***** There will be OC's *****

**- I do not own Death Note-**

**...- But that's kind of obvious...-**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Ugh!<p>

This class...Had it really only been going on for twenty minutes?

Grey-blue eyes wandered around the stuffy, drab schoolroom untill they latched onto the clock hanging commandingly over the door. The clock is black. Does anything in this room have color?

" Miss Cushing?"

Reluctantly, the girl shifted her attetntion to the short, pudgy professor who so rudely dsirupted her boredom.

" The answer to number 12?"He demanded, A smirk twisting his face. The pasty, arrogent ingrate actually thought she needed to focus to keep up!

" Island hopping strategy. Iwo Jima. Okinawa,"she replied clearly without even glancing at the three blanks on her paper. Dissapointed, the teacher turned and swooped on the next student he deemed totally lost.

History. You've forced us to compute and regurgitate facts and dates to the point of it being second nature to us.

" Miss Lynch!" The professor crowed triumphantly, throwing his pen at the desk directly across the room from her. It hit the target's arm, jolting the girl. Blearily, the seat's occupant raised her head from where it had been nestled securely in the crook of her arms, wincing at the sudden change of light, before settling into thier customary glare.

" Kuso" she muttered. " Why is it so damn bright in here"? She picked up the pen that disturbed her slumber, and glared at the one who had thrown it.

Erin Cushing stifled a giggle, covering her mouth with her free hand.

" None of that," the professor said sternly. " Now, Miss Lynch, if you would kindl-"

"- Pacific Theater. V-J Day. Miracle at Midway. Five." She interrupted the professor, reeling off the answers in a monotone, and running her hand through her extremely long auburn hair. " There. We've gone through the entire damn worksheet! Can I go back to sleep now"? She asked, flipping the pen inbetween her fingers, before crushing it in her fist. She glared up at the professor challengingly, smirking as the ink ran down her hand. Irritated, the professor slapped a stack of papers on his desk, and ordered the students to complete them before the day was over. His eyes became red with fury when Maggie threw the pen shards across the classroom, landing in the trashcan next to where he was standing. He straightened his ugly polka-dot bowtie, before brooding at his desk.

Smiling, Erin stood, and retrieved two papers from his desk, and a tissue. She paused briefly, to lay the paper and tissue on Maggie's desk, before making her way back to her own. She sat, and glanced at the worksheet. Review. Naturally. She answered the questions within seconds, and after setting her pen down, she lost herself in her bland observation of the even blander school enviroment again. School. Such an opressive, colorless place. Her eyes drifted to the single window directly paralell to her.

The sky. It was far from colorless and supressed. While this very building sought to drain any and all shreds of imaginiation from her being, the sky held promises and memories of freedom, happiness, and dreams. The deep, glorious blue arc through which fat, pompus clouds launguidly floated through was one thing that helped her maintain her sanity here. Erin's gaze lowered to Maggie, who had once again positioned herself so not a single, blaring ray of light could reach her eyes. Erin smiled fondly. How very different their methods of escape were. Maggie probably found that single, blessed window more of a curse then a gift.

_Different or not, she's still my best friend. We can be alarmingly similar in some ways and total opposites in others._

_Then..._

_I wonder what we should do when we get home._

**- RING!-**

Freedom!

As one, the students lept from their seats and poured from the room.

Erin waited.

_For someone who hates school so much, she sure takes her time leaving..._

Maggie joined her, and they left together.

_Wait for it..._

Erin glanced at Maggie, who was busy glaring down the hallway, and the people that quickly got out of her way when their eyes met hers. Maggie was known for her glare. Blocked hallways were never an issue while walking with her. They made their way to the two double doors, and faced them. And just as they were leaving the building...

"Ack! I hate that window!"

_I knew it..._

Putting on her most reasonable tone, Erin said " Natural light is good for your eyes. God knows you never get enough of it an home! Locking yourself in that lightless little L-"

" Lair. I know! Ahhh! Kuso it's so bright!"

This last complaint interrupted the others as they stepped into the afternoon sun. Erin sighed, pulled some sunglasses from her purse, and handed them to her glowering friend.

" I rest my case. Come on, the buses are about to leave."

The ride home was uneventful. As usual, Maggie and Erin both blasted kanon Wakeshima and Miku Hatsune to escape the obnoxious cacaphony of teenaged human post-school chatter until the bus pulled to their stop.

No matter how many times over the years every occupant had seen this stop, nothing changed. The noise steadily decreased, and all eyes had turned first to the white sign that stood over the iron gate proclaiming " WAMMY'S HOUSE FOR GIFTED ORPHANS" and then to the two odd recluses who swept off the bus without so much as a backward glance. In all the years they had ridden the bus, the views on those two had probably not varied much from the original thought of,

" Orphans? They're more like aliens..."

Needless to say, opinions had no effect on these two. The bus pulled away, and when the girls removed their shoes and opened the door to the main building, they were truly home.

Wammy's House was a corner of Japan carefully transported to America. Like the corner of a birthday cake, it depicted the country at it's best. Stepping inside the ornate, aesthetic interior hidden away from the world, the girls relaxed and felt more human. To make matters better, someone was waiting for them.

" Watari!"

The elderly Japanese man and founder of the institution smiled in his gentle manner and dipped his head at thier unified greeting.

" Hello, my girls. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Happily, each girl gave him a was often in the field;his brother Roger often took care of the orphanage. Still, he made sure to visit every month or so.

" It's good to see you again!" Erin said.

" We've missed you! Nyuu!" Maggie's more relaxed and happy side shown through.

" I've missed you both,too. Minako, your hair has gotten a bit longer already, and Makoto, my dear, you've grown taller."

Erin flipped her shoulder-length brunette hair experimentally, and Maggie grinned. Their true names that Watari had givin them as small children first orphaned were Minako Aino ( Erin ) and Makoto Kino( Maggie). Their original names had bewcome their full aliases.

" Now," Watari contiued. " Come to the kitchen. I have ice cream...and a suprise...For the both of you." His kind brown eyes twinkled, and beneath his white mustache, a mischivious smile lit up his face. Curious, the two followed him to the kitchen, but they paused at the door, frozen by what they saw. Sure enough, Watari's ice cream cart was waiting for them. However, it was what...or rather WHO...crouched strangely in the chair beside it that captured their utter attention. Large, grey eyes with dark circles beneath them, giving them an intense and piercing effect. A head full of raven black, untamable hair sticking out at odd ends. A slender, hunched torso with long slender fingers or one hand curved over his knee and the other precariously balancing a stick of pocky halfway to his mouth, which curved into a rare, croocked smile.

" Hello, Mina. Mako. It's been a whi-"

His next words were cut short as both girls flew forward, knocking L and the chair over in an enthusiastic tackle-embrace.

" DUO MAKO GLOMP OF DEATH!" Mako crowed out triumphantly.

" ONII-CHAN!" Mina squealed.

The greatest detective in the world landed flat on his back, eyes wide, limbs spread, with two teenage girls on top of him

" Mako!" He gasped " I..I can't...breathe! My...ribs.."He said in a strangled whisper. The girls moved back, allowing him to sit up and catch his breath, before throwing their arms around him again. Mina's hand crept up his neck until she reached his hair, which she tousled fondly. L smiled,closed his eyes, and held them both against his strong yet spindly frame.

" My little sisters," He said contentedly." It's been far too long."

Neither of the girl's seemed to be in any sort of hurry to let go, but that didn't bother L. rather, he seemed to be almost drinking in their prescence. Something fell away from him at that moment ; It was something cold and inhuman, a repressive burden he had knowingly shouldered when he became Justice. Seeing this outer layer stripped away by the gentle, loving hearts of the girls as they hugged him, and ruffled his hair, it was truly a heartwarming sight. Watari smiled down at his three proteges. It seemed that each was only truly complete when he or she was with the other two.

" Watari,"L said, breaking through the old man's thoughts as he stood, hands on his sister's shoulders. " Thank you for the ice cream. I think we'll be eating it outside; the three of us have a lot to catch up on."

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><p>" How long will you be here, Zaki?" Mako asked ten minutes later as they sat in the velvety grass, enjoying their ice cream cones in the saftey of some shade provided by a large oak tree. Zaki. It was a nickname derived from an alias L had used while tackling a particularly difficult case in Japan. Mina and Mako preffered it to " L", which, as Mina said, was" too aloof and inhuman."<p>

" A few days,' L replied, holding his cone with his usual delicate precision between his thumb and forefinger. The girls drooped a little in disapointment.

" So short," Mako said in a soft, sad voice.

" It's been more than a year since we last saw you," Mina added in quietly. L, however, merely tilted his head at an awkward, puppet-like angle to lick a few sweet, spare drops of ice cream that dared to slide down his cone.

" No, you don't understand," he said matter-of-factly. " You see, I'm here on an errand, not a visit. Watari has been checking in on you two regularly. After his last visit he assured me that both of you are certainly ready. And after spending even this short amount of time with you, my dear sisters, I am convinved his judgement is as sound as ever. So..." He turned to face them, sitting in the odd way he did. " Mina, Mako...Would you like to leave Wammy's house and follow me?"

Silence reigned over the golden afternoon as the girls stared.

" Too..." Mina breathed.

" Epic..." Mako concluded in the same hushed tone.

Ice cream forgotten, the two leaped to their feet and rushed at him, tackling him in another " Duo Mako glomp of Death".

"Are you insane?" Mako shirieked." Of COURSE we would!"

" Mina pulled away, fixing L with her grey-blue eyes.

"Zaki," She queried solomnly." Would we be pursuing Justice with you? Do you trust our abilities that much?"

" I do," he replied." I have always seen the potential in you two to follow in my footsteps" As she grinned and hugged him again, L's grey eyes lost focus, wandering back across the years to when he had first met and bonded with the two.

How long ago it seemed...

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><p>" L, I'd like to thank you again for coming with me to check on the school, but I assure you, it really isn't necassary."<p>

Watari stepped through the wooden door way, but L paused on the threshold, turning to look back at the child-littered yard. The sounds of their laughter and innocent chatter were as foreign to him as the golden sunlight that soaked into his pale skin.

" No," he mused after a few moment's thought." I feel like I need to be here this time, Watari...Besides, after this visit we will be departing for Japan. Who knows when either of us will see this place again? The Kira case promises to be both challenging and dangerous. I want to see any of your newest prospects, in case...something should happen to me." Watari said nothing to this, but laid his hand on the young man's bent shoulder.

" Come," he said." I already have two people I want you to meet."

Pulling his eyes away from the two small figures featured on the screens live video feed, L asked, " Watari, aren't there windows in that room? Why are we watching the security cameras?"

" You will find that all the curtains to the windows have been drawn," Watari explained. "The younger girl, or Kino Makoto, claimed that the windows made the room too bright. She has created an artificial night in the room; only a very dull lamp was left on for the sake of the other girl."

" I see. The other girl doesn't mind?"

"Not especially. They were neighbors and friends from a very tender age. Besides...They are recent newcomers here. I warn you the shock and pain of loss has left them fragile."

L did not speak, his eyes were once again fixed on the girls. One of them...the younger, judging by her smaller figure...was arranging the curtains so not a single drop of light slipped past while the other was curled up near the dim light, clutching a notebook and pen in her hands.

" In a way, they remind me of you," Watari continued softly."Both channel their pain into doing things they love instead of tears...and both lost their families to the same violent fire."

Fire.

L stood, sliding his hands into the pockets of his baggy jeans, shuffled his bare toes.

" I think I'll go speak to them," he announced, and left the room only after grabbing a box of pocky.

Neither girl so much as glanced up when the newcomer entered their lair. The older girl was sitting up now, but she was no longer writing. The pen was clutched tightly in her slender, small hand, and her eyes, a curious mix of blue and grey flecked with green, were staring blankly at the word-covered page. The younger girl had abandoned her perfecting of the curtains and was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, knees pressed against her chest and a manga book in her hands. Casually and without a word, L walked over and sat inbetween them, munching calmly on a stick of pocky. The older girl peered shyly at him through a screen of straggly, short, honey-blonde hair. The younger stiffened and continued reading with forced absorbtion. Turning back to the older one, L gestured to the notebook and asked,

" May I see that?"

Slowly, as if feeding a large, wild beast, the girl slid the notebook into his hand. He held out a stick of pocky in exchange, and she took it cautiously. L turned to the younger girl, only to find her glaring unblinkingly at him through startilingly ice-blue eyes. L paused, suprised by such a potent mix of hostility in such a pair of eyes.

_Would a smile be useful in this situation? _

If so, it had better be sincere. Such an innocent soul would know false kindness immediatly. Any smile not from the heart would be a fatal mistake. Still, L recognised a shadow of himself in that gaze. Had he looked the same when Watari first brought him in? The deep, undeniable ache of his loss had governed him in those first dark days. There was no independant thought or reason, only the fact that he was now alone. His pain, fear and sadness must have been translated into hostility and mistrust. After such a traumatic, shattering event, the soft eyes of a child, so willing to soak up every ounce of happiness and sunshine the world has to offer, become the eyes of a cornered and wounded animal.

Trusting no one.

Desiring no one to intrude upon the agony of their solitude.

Those eyes...They are never the same again.

Being the cold, calculating figure of Justice, L had not allowed himself to truly feel in quite a while. But now, looking into those icy orbs that could easily shatter into tears at the merest touch of the soul...he felt sadness.

_I will not let that happen._

L smiled. It was a smile of knowing, of companionship and promise. The promise that there was a tomorow to the seemingly endless night. The girl continued to stare at him, but the hostility melted away, leaving her eyes as blue as the sky. She didn't cease looking, analyzing his every movement. He pulled a piece of pocky out, and slowly offered it to her. She hesitantly accepted, all the while staring at him. he turned his attentiong to the notebook, and studied it intensly. What he read was too dark to come from a childs heart. Pain, Death, Fear...Fire. They were all there.

" They're gone."

He looked down at the older girl as she stared with empty eyes into space, and twirled the pencil in her palm.

" The words are gone, but the pain is still there." Blood trickled from her fingers as the lead bit into her palm. " Why does it still hurt?" A few tears slid down her face. " I thought...if I wrote it all down...it would stay on the paper where I put it..."

Carefully, with his thumb and index finger,L extracted the pencil from her hand.

" Writer's block is truly a pain," he mused. " But even if you could go on forever and never run out of paper, that pain would stay here..." He gently tapped her chest on the left side below her collarbone. " I t stays a part of us. Just make sure you grow with it, and not let it grow to control you." With that, he laid another stick of pocky in her hand in place of the pencil, set the notebook down, and stood to go.

"...Name."

The piercing, tenor voice stopped him in his tracks, and he looked back to see those scathingly blue eyes fixed on him as the younger girl raised her index finger towards him commandingly.

" Give us your name," she ordered, The softer eyes of the otehr girl were on him as well.

" L," he replied, and left them with one last smile...

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><p>" Zaki," Mako mused, running her fingers through his hair. " Do we get letters too?" The teens vibrant blue eyes, constantly afire with some emotion, glinted at the thought of being more like her brother.<p>

" We already have aliases," Mina cut in. " Besides...We can't BOTH be M." She laughed, her softer, more multi-colored eyes meeting L's dark ones. He winked, and suddenly moved, drawing them softly against his chest.

" My little sisters," he said. " All these years, and you haven't changed. I wouldn't want to investigate the first change you've faced. Be who you are. That's all I'll ever ask of you."

The two hugged him back, the blanched school room seemingly an insignificant speck in the cosmos of opportunity that had opened to them.

Opportunity and promise.

They would never be seperated from their brother again.

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><p><strong>AN- So! Did you like it? Please review below! Please? :]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! Yes, I know I'm one of the laziest writers in the world...But...Ummm, Yeah, I can't think of a suitable excuse. So, instead of filling your ears with incessant chatter, how about I shut up, and you can get reading? I think that sounds good :3 This chapter will be pure fluff, by the way. Yay! Fluff!**

Yes! We're all going to the beach! Mina hopped around excitedly when she recieved the news. Zaki had told the two girls over breakfast. Mina could barely contain her excitment. Mako's face was definatly an interesting sight to behold. It was a mixture of delight, yet complete and utter horror. Mina put her hands on her hips, and sighed

" You really are going to let your hatred of the sun ruin the beach?" Mako smiled a little, and said carefully

" I'll be able to make it work... " Mina tackled her and Zaki into a giant hug. Afterwards, she ran off to go pack.

_Hmmmm...What should I bring? _Mina twirled her hair in her fingers, as she mused over the possibilities. Going over to her closet, she rummaged through the various clothes, before pulling out a bathing suit. After agonising on some other options such as towels and cover-ups, she filled her suitcase. While she was folding the last of her clothes, she heard Mako and Zaki talking outside. Carefully, she crept to the door, and listened in to their conversation...

"I really think mine's better! Honestly! You'll be better off with it!" Mako was telling Zaki. He considered this for a moment, before adding in his own thoughts._ What...?_

" Your probably right Mako. But what if it doesn't last long!"

She pondered this for a moment, before answering carefully

" If all else fails, we can mix them together! Imagine it! SPF 100 mixed in with my zinc oxcide! It would be the best sunscreen ever!" She twirled around excitedly.

_Were they really...Yes they were...Ah...I love them! _Mina giggled, thinking of how silly they could be. She opened the door, and called out

" Are you guys ready?" She heard a muffled * thunk * as Mako heaved her backpack on her sholders. It was huge!

" Mako...What do you have in there?" She asked as she poked at the overstuffed bag.

" Oh nothing much!"

" It must weigh a ton "

" Nope, it's light. Here! You try it!" And after that last comment, she slung the pack into Mina's arms. It hit her like a ton of lead, and immidiatly dragged her to the ground.

" Not that heavy, Eh"? Mina grumbled. They both heard a bout of laughter. Zaki was standing there, shaking violently. They all joined in, piercing the early morning air with peals of giggling. After settling down, they loaded all their stuff into the car. Watari watched them joking around, as they got everything ready. He walked up to L, and smiled, eyes gleaming. After a big group hug, the three got into the car. L sat in the backseat with Mako, while Mina drove. Soon after they departed from Wammy's House, Mako fell asleep.

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><p>It was mid-afternoon when they arrived at the hotel where they would be spending their time. When they checked in, they each recieved a room key. After arranging a meeting place, they went to their respective rooms. Mina looked out at the beach surrounding the hotel. After changing, she set off on foot to where they would be. They had reserved a private 1 mile streach of beach, with plenty of trees.<p>

_I guess Mako and Zaki are alr- WHAT? Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!_

Mako had gotten there first, which was duley noted by the black tent under a dense patch of palm trees. Mina also saw Mako...in full lolita dress. She had on everything! Gloves, a bonnet, shoes, jumper, blouse, kneesocks..And an umbrella. Mina fell down laughing when she saw her. Zaki, she guessed, was sitting in the tent. She compsed herself, and went inside. There he was, eating pocky.

"Aren't you going to go outside?" He looked up at her in disbelief.

" Right, you hate the sun too..." She turned over to Mako, who was pulling out various sunscreens. Without a word, Mako assaulted her with sunscreen. She just stood there for 30 minutes, sighing as Mako slathered products on her.

" Are you guys even going out into the water?" She asked, exasperated.

" Of course we are, Mina. But when the sun goes down" Zaki said. She grinned before running out to the water. THe crystal clear ocean was so inviting, drawing her to the cool water. The sun was high in the sky, reflecting off the ocean. The sand was hot, so she ran fast into the water. After the initial shock of the water, she happily waded out further. the waves were gently pulling her in. She sat down, letting the waves wash over her. After a while, a shadow appeared over her. Mako was standing there, holding an umbrella. She was also out of her lolita, and was in a swimsuit. Mina grinned, and splashed her. Mako glared down, and started a war. The two girls played in the water for hours. Mina was so happy, but there was someone missing from this. She looked at Mako, and they both nodded. The moon was half hovering in the sky. They walked over to the tent, and called out

"Zaki! It's safe to come out!" After some shuffling, L came out. He sighed happily, looking at the scenery. They all sat in the water, enjoying eachothers company. Looking up at the stars, Mina couldn't help but see how perfect this moment was. There was no danger, she was with her brother and sister, and they all were calm.

_I never want this moment to end..._

" Me neither " Mako and Zaki said, almost at the same time. She looked over at them, who simply shrugged. Laying down on the sand, she fell asleep, immersed in the serenity of the night.

**A/N- Yep, it was short too...but funny! Please review :3**


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